Ionically crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) membranes. I. Wet technique

A study has been made of the ionic crosslinking of poly(acrylic acid) membranes for possible applications in dialysis and reverse osmosis. The technique consists of casting a film of poly(acrylic acid) neutralized with sodium hydroxide, followed by immersion in appropriate metal salts (aluminium, zinc, and chromium salts). A qualitative rate model has been developed to guide this synthesis. Since both metal cations and protons in solution compete for the carboxylic acid sites, acid–base properties of the metal and polycarboxylic acid appear to be important for successful membrane formation. The use of a nonsolvent for the polymer in the crosslinking solution was tested and found to give improved membranes under some conditions. The nonsolvents tested were methanol, acetone, benzene, and dimethylformamide, dimethylformamide being the most successful. Crosslinking agents such as the Zn2+ and Cr3+ salts were tried but were not as successful as the Al3+ salts. A series of membranes was synthesized in aluminium/dimethylformamide crosslinking baths under various conditions in order to determine suitable procedures for preparation of membranes.